Page 11 of Double Booked

RILEY

“Shit!” I hissed, hot oil spattering onto my forearm as my phone rang on the island behind me. I was running way behind on making dinner before my 7pm phone call with Colton. I dropped the spatula on the stove next to the pan and wiped my hands on my pants as I swiped on the smiling selfie Colton and I had taken at the wildlife sanctuary on the island. Was it cheesy making that his contact photo on my phone? Maybe. But I deserved a little cheese. It had been three weeks since the island and Colton and I talked on the phone almost every other night. I would never admit it but his phone calls were starting to become my favorite part of the day.

“Sorry, sorry,” I said as I answered the phone, propping it up on the decorative bowl Ryan had gifted me last year. “I’m running behind and dinner’s not done yet.”

Colton laughed, the husky noise reminding me of the balmy tropical nights we spent together. “Everything okay?”

“It’s fine, everything’s fine,” I said, cursing as the pan crackled behind me. “I got lost in a chapter and lost track of time so I’m running late. I meant to have this done before you called.” I glanced behind me at the phone. Colton looked like he was sitting on his couch. In the corner of the screen, I could see the black and white fur of his dog, Maggie. I knew from our previous conversations that Rex, his German shepherd, was likely lying at his feet.

“I don’t mind,” Colton said. “As long as I get to talk to you, I don’t care if you paint your toe nails.”

“You just want to look at my feet,” I teased.

He laughed. “I want to look at every part of you actually.”

Looking over my shoulder, I wiggled my butt at him and laughed when he cursed.

“Don’t do that baby girl or you might have me at your house tomorrow.”

“I’m not hearing anything wrong with that,” I said, stirring my stir fry and ignoring the burnt parts.

We hadn’t talked yet about our first trip to see each other and who was going to go where. I missed him more than I had expected to but I still hesitated to bring it up. The island was a break from reality. Would it be the same if we saw each other on our home turf?

“Soon, baby girl, soon. What chapter did you get lost in?”

Unlike past relationships or even my family, Colton was interested in my writing and my author business. I answered him as I finished dinner, moving the pan off the burner and shutting off the stove before grabbing a bowl. I was working on the same book I had been on the island and I was getting towards the middle and one of the big reveals I had planned for my characters. Colton asked me questions around bites of stir fry but he looked tired.

“How was work?” I asked, cleaning my bowl out in the sink with the phone leaning against the fridge. “Have you built a bamboo house yet?”

He laughed at our inside joke. “Not yet. And it’s fine. Just a long day finishing up a job. It could have been finished by tomorrow but the clients were driving everyone crazy so we pushed to finish it today.”

“Were they the nitpicky ones?” I asked. He had been dealing with these perfectionist clients all week who were constantly micromanaging his crew and making them redo the littlest things.

“Yep. They found a quarter of an inch mark on the floor board that could have come from anything but made us redo the entire section of flooring yesterday. I thought Jake was going to come over the table at the guy and he’s the easy going one of the crew so I went and helped them out today so we could finish it and just be done.”

“That sucks that they’re like that but thankfully you’re all done! You might want to consider adding a clause in your contract for stuff like that in the future.” I suggested, pouring myself a glass of wine and settling onto the couch as I talked.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll have to ask Justin about that.” Colton said, rubbing his forehead. “We definitely need it as we grow.” Under Colton and Justin’s management, the construction crew was growing and taking on jobs in the surrounding towns as well.

“Are you getting a chance to relax at all?” I asked.

“I get to talk to you,” He winked at me and I hid my blushing cheeks behind my wine glass. “But Justin and I were talking about getting the boat out in the next few weeks now that the weather is warming up.”

“I love being out on the water.” I admitted.

Colton’s eyebrows raised. “Really? I didn’t think you did cause you never went in the ocean on the island.”

“Oh I am not an ocean person at all,” I said, raising the hand that wasn’t holding the wine glass. “No, thank you. That is where the sharks live and all the other things that I can’t see swimming underneath me. I’m really not a swimming in the lake person either. I like being on the water in a boat or a kayak, not in the water.”

“You don’t want to swim with the fishes nibbling your toes.” Colton teased.

I shuddered, drawing my toes safely underneath of myself. “Absolutely not, no thank you.”

He laughed and I smiled as I watched him. God, I missed this man. An unhealthy, unusual amount.

“Got it. So no swimming but boating is totally fine.”

“More than fine. I actually miss it. Growing up my friends’ family had boats but we never did. My mom preferred a pool to the lake.”

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